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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. land — a country
  3. last — finally
  4. mate — a partner
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. last — final
  7. land — ground
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bound — tied together
  10. land — to come down
  11. mate — a friend
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — music
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bound — obliged
  18. march — the month
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. last — to go on
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. march — the month
  23. bound — certain
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com